[1] Read this simple text and note the use of the accusative-infinitive in indirect statements.
Dīcō ¦ ducem nostrum fidēlem esse. Quod cibum nōn habēmus, in silvam iit, ubi crēdō ¦ eum cibum petere. Ferīs interfectīs carnem nōbīs dabit. Putō ¦ vōs ignāvōs esse et nihil scīre. Mare timētis et omnia timētis. Quod ēsurītis, ducem bonum nostrum culpātis et dīcitis ¦ eum vōs fallere.
I say ¦ that our leader is faithful. Because we do not have food, he has gone into the forest, where I believe ¦ that he is looking for food. Once the wild beasts have been killed, he will give the meat to us. I think ¦ that you are lazy and know nothing. You fear the sea, and you fear everything. Because you are hungry you blame our good leader and you say ¦ that he is deceiving you.
Etiam nunc aliquem videō ¦ [i] quem ¦ [iii] esse ducem nostrum [ii] crēdō. Rēctā ad nōs venit, et aliquid grave umerīs portat. Habitus eius ostendit ¦ eum esse ducem nostrum. Cervum portat, quem in silvā interfēcit. Mox cervus in igne pōnētur, et vōs cibum habēbitis.
Even now I see somebody [i] whom [ii] I believe ¦ [iii] is our leader. He is coming directly to us, and is carrying something heavy on his shoulders. His clothes show ¦ that he is our leader. He is carrying a stag which he has killed in the forest. Soon the stag will be placed in the fire, and you will have food.
[2] Match the Latin sentences with the correct translation listed below. The sentences are deliberately similar to one another to practise precise reading.
In English, the general rule is as follows:
He says ¦ that he is brave.
He said ¦ that he was brave.
i.e. the tense of the verb which introduces the indirect statement (says / said) usually determines the tense of the verb in the indirect statement. In Latin, however, the present active infinitive is used regardless of the tense which introduces the statement because it refers to what he is saying / said at the time, and what he is saying or said is / was “I am brave”, referring to a present / ongoing situation.
Dīcit ¦ sē fortem esse. │ He says that he is brave.
Dīxit ¦ sē fortem esse. │ He said that he was brave.
The indirect statement in Latin is the same for both, even though English differentiates them.
[a]
[i] Dīcunt eum errāre.
[ii] Dīcit eōs errāre.
[iii] Dīcebat eam errāre.
[iv] Dīcēbant eum errāre.
[v] Dīcis mē errāre.
[vi] Dīcēbat tē errāre.
He said that she was wrong.
He said that you were wrong.
He says that they are wrong.
They said that he was wrong.
They say that he is wrong.
You say that I am wrong.
[a]
[i] Dīcunt eum errāre. │ They say that he is wrong.
[ii] Dīcit eōs errāre. │ He says that they are wrong.
[iii] Dīcebat eam errāre. │ He said that she was wrong.
[iv] Dīcēbant eum errāre. │ They said that he was wrong.
[v] Dīcis mē errāre. │ You say that I am wrong.
[vi] Dīcēbat tē errāre. │ He said that you were wrong.
[b] In this exercise, carefully distinguish not only translation of tenses but the use of sē (referring to himself etc. themselves etc.) as opposed to eum, eam etc. (referring to somebody else)
[i] Crēdit sē fortem esse.
[ii] Crēdit eum fortem esse.
[iii] Crēdunt sē fortēs esse.
[iv] Crēdunt eōs fortēs esse.
[v] Crēdebat sē fortem esse.
[vi] Crēdebat eam fortem esse.
[vii] Crēdēbant eās fortēs esse.
[viii] Crēdō tē fortem esse.
[ix] Crēdo vōs fortēs esse.
[x] Crēdēbant nōs fortēs esse.
He believed that he (himself) was brave.
He believed that she was brave.
He believes that he (himself) is brave.
He believes that he (somebody else) is brave.
I believe that you (pl.) are brave.
I believe that you (sg.) are brave.
They believe that they (other people) are brave.
They believe that they (themselves) are brave.
They believed that they (other people) were brave.
They believed that we were brave.
[b]
[i] Crēdit sē fortem esse. │ He believes that he (himself) is brave.
[ii] Crēdit eum fortem esse. │ He believes that he (somebody else) is brave.
[iii] Crēdunt sē fortēs esse. │ They believe that they (themselves) are brave.
[iv] Crēdunt eōs fortēs esse. │ They believe that they (other people) are brave.
[v] Crēdebat sē fortem esse. │ He believed that he (himself) was brave.
[vi] Crēdebat eam fortem esse. │ He believed that she was brave.
[vii] Crēdēbant eās fortēs esse. │ They believed that they (other people) were brave.
[viii] Crēdō tē fortem esse. │ I believe that you (sg.) are brave.
[ix] Crēdo vōs fortēs esse. │ I believe that you (pl.) are brave.
[x] Crēdēbant nōs fortēs esse. │ They believed that we were brave.
